Asthma Attack
by AuntieJamima
Summary: Hollywood Arts is forced to get a gym class in the middle of the year. So why does Jade look so nervous? Jori. TWO-Shot.
1. Chapter 1

**My asthma is giving me serious trouble today so I decided to write a stupid drabble about it.**

**Tori's POV**

Hollywood Arts has lost their minds. Well, more than before at least. They've flown off the rocker with impressive force. Why do I think this you ask? Well, as I'm standing here outside in the middle of January, fidgeting with my brand new "fresh from the factory" Hollywood Arts official gym uniform, I think I have the right to complain. The school board decided that it "wasn't fair" that we're the only school in the district that didn't have mandatory gym class and replaced one class on our schedule with an hour of humiliation. Our new coach stumbled out into the field and looked down at his clipboard. He looked like one of those guys that played football and got hammered every weekend in high school and flunked out of college. He cleared his throat and scratched his hairy neck with a pencil.

"Umm, so you guys will be taking Physical Education for the remainder of the year…We're gonna play sports and stuff…" He paused and stared at his clipboard again and ran to grab some footballs. I sighed along with the entire class. I was SUPPOSED to be taking an extra vocal class this semester but instead I'm freezing my tush off in the middle of a makeshift athletic field. I grumbled under my breath and glanced over at Jade who looked stormy but strangely nervous.

"Ridiculous right?" I said, studying the underlying nerves she was trying to conceal.

"Yeah, this whole thing is stupid." She growled, "We're art students, not gorillas."

"Does anyone here even know how to play sports?" I said, watching several of my peers attempting to position their hands around the footballs. The coach cleared his throat again and waved his meaty arm to get our attention.

"Um, so apparently you're supposed to take the mile run test before we do anything fun." He said, "It's five laps around the field…I think." Everyone groaned except Jade who looked paler than usual and noticeably panicked.

"What if we don't want to run the mile?" Jade said to the coach, lacking her usual intimidating fire.

"Then you fail for the whole year." He shot back, probably having heard the same question a million times, "Now line up and get ready to run!" We all positioned ourselves on the imaginary starting line and took off when the coach blew his whistle. I'm pretty athletic so a mile wasn't anything but an inconvenience in my day. Most of the other kids seemed to be having a pretty easy time with it except Jade who dragged behind the pack, gasping for air after the first lap. I slowed my pace until I was jogging next to her.

"Everything okay?" I said, watching her attempt to answer in between gulps of air.

"I'm…Fine…get…away…" she grunted, pushing me away with a frail shove. I backed off slightly, still watching her out of the corner of my eye. She seemed to wince every time she took in a shuddering breath and was constantly wiping her mouth on her jacket sleeve.

"Is something in your shoe?" I asked, running closer to her again.

"Why…would you think that?" She wheezed.

"You look like you're in a ton of pain, you sure you're okay?" I asked skeptically. Jade was about to snap at me when she began to cough forcefully into her sleeve, stopping and doubling over on the side of the field. She glared at me, blood running down her chin.

"I'm fine you loser." She growled, flinching and clutching her chest.

"Jade! Oh my God, you have asthma?" I shrieked as she fell to her knees, breath only a shallow whisper.

"Argh…my…chest…" She panted, coughing up another dribble of blood.

"Crap, crap, Jade where's your inhaler?" I said frantically checking her jacket pockets.

"Don't have one." She groaned.

"Are you insane?"

"I don't…want to be…weak…"

"HELP!" I yelled, "SOMEONE CALL AND AMBULANCE!" The coach, finally noticing that one of his students was practically dying, dropped his clipboard and started yelling into his walkie talkie. It was an odd moment watching Jade struggle to breathe in the middle of a frozen field. Her face was flushed and her black hair was falling out of its ponytail. I bit my lip and grabbed her hand, cradling it in my lap as we waited for help.

"Don't stop breathing," I murmured, "Just keep going. Help is on the way." Jade whimpered and attempted to take a deep breath.

"God it hurts!" she cried out, crushing my hand. The coach was attempting to hold the crowd of students back, many of whom her gawking at the powerful Jade West now helpless in the dirt.

"They must think I'm pathetic," Jade said with a sad smile, chest heaving and blood running down her face.

"Stop talking!" I hissed, "Save your breath!" Jade snorted and rolled her head to the side, looking at the mob of students. I spied the ambulance in the distance, sirens wailing and tires flattening the grass. They screeched to a halt and four paramedics jumped out of the back, struggling to wheel the stretcher across the thick weeds. They finally reached Jade and I, grabbing her and putting her roughly on the stretcher. I ran along-side the paramedics, Jade's hand still in mine, until we reached the ambulance. I hopped in the back with Jade, sitting closer to her. One of paramedics about to kick me off when his friend nudged his arm and nodded toward our hands. I blushed slightly and kept Jade's hand close to my chest. The paramedics immediately put an oxygen mask over Jade's mouth and nose to help open up her lungs.

"Where's her inhaler?" one asked me.

"She doesn't have one."

"Is she crazy? She's got some of the worst asthma I've seen!" He cranked up the oxygen level on the machine and hooked up some kind of medicinal vapor to the side. Jade gave a sigh of relief and took several deep breaths even though her eyes were still shut. Her fingers curled around my hands and squeezed in a slight thank you. It was all I needed to know that she was going to be okay.

**I like this. I'm gonna make it a TWO SHOT :DD **


	2. Chapter 2

**Tori's POV**

I wasn't allowed in the hospital room at first since they had to get Jade situated with the asthma medicine and make sure nothing got her riled up. I sat in the dizzyingly white hallway, tapping my foot and drumming my fingers on my knee. My head perked up whenever a doctor passed through the hallway or a when door slammed in the distance, only to be disappointed when nobody acknowledged me. My stomach was clawing at my ribcage as the clock slowly inched a second at a time. What if her lungs rejected the medicine and reacted badly? What if her lungs flat out _exploded? _Okay they wouldn't do that but what if something went wrong? I was about to burst in my seat when a doctor shuffled some papers and stopped in front my bench.

"You came her with Ms. West?" He asked. He had one of those monotone voices that all doctors seem to have. I guess when you've seen enough people die, you stop reacting to it.

"Yes, is she okay? Her lungs didn't explode did they?" I hopped up from the bench, wringing my gym shirt in my hands. The doctor laughed assured me that Jade's lungs were still intact. He led me down another hallway and stopped at one of the rooms near a small lounge area.

"Go ahead inside." He opened the door for me and shut it when I crossed the threshold. Jade was sitting with her arms crossed, looking annoyed, and staring out of the giant window next to her bed. I took a seat next to the hospital bed and pursed my lips, unsure of what to say. Do I apologize for freaking out? No, I saved her life. She would just get mad. I drummed my fingers on my leg rapidly, searching my brain for something to say.

"Nice view." I blurted, mentally smacking myself for being so lame. Jade hummed in a distant agreement, still not looking at me.

"You don't have an inhaler," I said finally, "But your asthma is so severe." Jade's eyebrow twitched as if she was afraid I was going to bring it up. She let out a wheeze, that I think was supposed to be a sigh, and finally tore her eyes away from the window.

"That's right." Was all she said.

"I want to know why."

Jade looked nothing less than conflicted. Like she was deciding whether or not to trust me, to let me in the confinement of her walls. I always assumed Jade had a special section of her brain reserved for reasons to hate me, but I started to think she didn't really detest me as much as she liked to portray. I traced circles on her white bed sheets, thinking she wasn't going to answer me.

"They're weak," She said suddenly. I paused my finger mid-circle, and met her intense stare.

"Weak?"

"I don't want to have weaknesses." Jade said firmly, "Asthma is a weakness to me."

"But you could've died." I said.

"I've had asthma since I was little, she continued, "I was on three different types of medicine and at risk of dying in my sleep for the first three years of my life." She paused again and turned her gaze to the window.

"After my parents got divorced when I was twelve, I stopped taking my inhaler to school and stopped taking medicine all together. I didn't want to be weak like them. I've been able to resist fatal attacks but sometimes I just can't hold it together and this," she gestured violently to the hospital room, "this is what happens."

"Jade," I whispered, taking her hand gently in mine in a simple form of comfort.

"I'm so ashamed." She said to the window. I swear a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You have no reason to be ashamed," I said tenderly, "You didn't chose to have this illness. I can tell you're in a lot of pain living like this, physical and emotional."

"Everyone is going to know I'm nothing but a sniveling fool," She spat bitterly.

"I don't." I said, "I think you're the bravest person I've ever met." Jade finally looked at me, seeing if I was being sincere or condescending.

"Why?"

"You've spent so much time taking this punishment and you don't even let how much pain you're actually in show. Ever."

"How does that make me brave?"

"Because you've been suffering alone." I squeezed her hand and smiled. There was a knock on the door before Jade could answer and the doctor shuffled into the room, looking down at a clipboard.

"Okey-dokie Ms. West, if everything checks out, you can leave by tonight." He said, flipping to another page of difficult medical charts and graphs. He reached into his pocket and fished out a small white box, placing it directly in Jade's hand. It was an inhaler.

"Use it." He said sternly, "Make sure she uses it." He added, turning to me.

"She won't miss a single puff." I reassured him with a smile. He nodded and gave Jade another stern look. She nodded slightly, rolling her eyes. As soon as the door closed, she tossed me the inhaler. I looked at her, confused as to why I was the one holding it.

"If you're gonna keep tabs on my medicine use." She said with a smile.

"Maybe we'll be able to enjoy gym now."

"Tori," She said shyly, "Thanks…for saving my life…"

"I'll be there as long you need me too be."


End file.
